“We try to treat every game like it is a big one so when the important games come along we are ready and prepared,” junior Alyssa Angelo said.

Starr’s Mill and Whitewater played a heated region game in which both the Panthers and Wildcats showed their prowess on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. With nine combined runs, nine innings played, and excellent defensive performances from both teams, Tuesday night’s game will surely lead to more great duels between the two sides for the remainder of the year.

Following the conclusion of the national anthem, freshman Paige Andrews took the mound as the home Panthers set up in the field. After the Wildcats lead-off hitter struck out, Whitewater loaded the bases with only one out. Andrews answered the pressure with two straight strikeouts and closed the top of the first. In the Lady Panthers’ first shot at the plate, a walk by lead-off hitter Lauren Flanders was immediately followed by her stealing second base. Junior Lea Duben then lined a hit to center field but Flanders could not advance to third. A failed attempt to steal third base was then followed up by a fly out by junior Kate Ashmore and Duben was thrown out at second base due to mistiming her tag up.

“I’m pretty big on being aggressive and taking chances, so when we had a runner thrown out at third early in the game it made us back off a little bit and that is something we will work on as the season progresses,” head coach Mark Williamson said.

As the second inning started, the Lady Panthers made quick work of the Wildcats and went three up three down. Junior Laura Sellers led off the bottom of the second with a hit to center field which was followed up by a hard line drive straight to the center fielders glove by senior Jordan Childress. Andrews then grounded out but did manage to advance the runner to second base. Beginning a trend that would hurt the Panthers late in the game, a strikeout left sellers stranded on base to close the inning.

“We left too many runners on base and that cost us at the end of the day,” Williamson said.

Whitewater’s third inning ended as soon as it began with only one hitter reaching base off of an error and being left on first as Starr’s Mill made quick work of the Wildcat offense. When the Lady Panthers took the plate, sophomore Kendall Robinson walked with only one out and then stole second base with Flanders at bat. After Flanders was hit by a pitch, a sacrifice bunt advanced both runners to second and third but also put the Panthers at two outs. Ashmore then lined out and Starr’s Mill’s tally of runners left on base grew by two.

After a cold start, the Wildcats stepped up their game in the top of the fourth. With one out, Whitewater hit a double and then followed that up with their second out of the inning. With one runner on second, another Wildcat double drove in the base runner. Although the visiting team proceeded to hit yet another double to shallow left field, a call of runners interference ended the Wildcats’ inning. Starr’s Mill quickly answered as Angelo hit a three-run home run with two outs, but the inning would be over after the next at bat ended in a ground out to the short stop.

“I was very excited but also a little surprised because I do not usually hit the ball like that,” Angelo said.

With the Panthers heading into the fifth inning with a 3-1 lead, their defense would hold up and get them to the plate yet again after Duben made a spectacular grab in center field. A walk put lead off hitter Flanders on first and after a pop up bunt resulted in an out, Flanders stole yet another base to get her tally on the night up to two. With a runner on second and one out, Ashmore hit a double and Sellers followed that up with a walk to get the bases loaded. A pop out and strike out would cut the inning short however, and leave three runners on base.

A pitching change was made for Starr’s Mill in the sixth as senior Abbey Brady replaced Andrews. After the Panthers gave up a walk, an error, and hitting a batter with a pitch, the Wildcats had the bases loaded. Whitewater then proceeded to successfully execute a sacrifice fly out that allowed the third base runner to score and advanced the other runners to second and third. This at bat was immediately followed by a grounder through the gap that drove in the two remaining base runners and saw the hitter reach first safely. Luckily for the Panthers, Brady closed the inning out with a strikeout and Starr’s Mill left the top of the sixth down 4-3.